1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to lids for conventional cups and more particularly to a valve assembly to be utilized in conjunction with the lid adapted to close an opening in the lid. The valve assembly includes an arm which extends against the wall of the cup so that one may open the valve and thus the hole in the lid so that liquid can flow out of the cup.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has long been known in the prior art to enclose a container such as a cup with a lid selectively mounted to the rim of the cup. A more recent development has been the incorporation of a lift tab or the like for providing an opening in the lid for drinking the fluid therethrough. One problem with the lift-tab type cup lids is that they are not resealable.
The known resealable cup lids have an opening formed therein for drinking the liquid therethrough but are mechanically complicated and relatively expensive to manufacture. Examples of known mechanical resealable cup lids include U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,433 to Numbers; U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,642 to Nergard; U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,408 to Valenzona; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,964,631 and 3,972,443 to Albert; U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,249 to Tuneski et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,033 to Payne et al.
One problem which the prior art cup lids suffer from is the complexity of the mechanical mechanism adapted to enclose the opening in the cup lid. These mechanical structures are often an assembly of several distinct elements thereby involving costly manufacturing and assembly operations. Another problem which several of the prior art cup lids suffer from is the ease of utilizing the lid mechanism.